Finding Light
by blackbirdfly96
Summary: Kurt's not depressed. He's just had a rough year. Kurt is diagnosed with clinical depression the summer before his junior year. Concerned with his son's health and happiness, Burt sends Kurt to a small summer support group where he meets a short boy with bright hazel eyes and big dreams.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello, everyone! First off, I just wanted to say I've been working on this story for a little while and I'm excited! I got the idea after reading TFIOS. This is not going to be like TFIOS. It's not a cancer!fic. The only thing I took from TFIOS is the idea of a support group over the summer. I created the idea for Kurt meeting Blaine at a support group for kids with depression, self-harm tendencies, and suicidal thoughts. I'm going to go ahead and place an overall warning here that this story will contain these themes, so please read at your own risk. As much as I love seeing people reading and enjoying anything I write, I don't want to trigger anyone. That being said, if there's any bigger type of trigger for the chapter, I'll post that in the author's note as well.

I really, really hope you guys enjoy this story. You can find my Tumblr I recently opened on my profile, so if you have any questions or prompts for me, or anything just to say about the story, you can send that to me either here, via my PMs or reviews, or to my Tumblr!

I do like and accept constructive criticism, but I ask that you please don't post anything blatantly rude. I'm not forcing you to read my story, so if there's something you don't like, please just click off of my work.

One more thing to say. I'm sorry. I'm rambling. Lastly, I just wanted to make you guys aware that this chapter changes POVs. It's all written in third person, but both Kurt and Burt's POVs are included in this chapter to make it work.

So, now, I'm going to end this rambling authors note here and get into the chapter. I hope you guys enjoy, and please review and let me know what you think. It is greatly appreciated!

* * *

Everyday was the same. He rolled out of bed, took a shower and pulled on his clothes, created the perfect coif in his hair that he hit with nearly half a can of hairspray and grabbed a granola bar, making his way to school. He'd go along with his daily schedule, dragging his feet along with the rest of his body as he faced slushies, locker slams, dumpster dives, and anything else. He made his way through all the classes, weakly sang his way through glee practice and finally made it home where he fixed dinner, ate quickly and used the excuse of "too much homework" or "working on a glee club song" as an excuse to escape into his bedroom. He'd immediately change into his navy blue pajamas, fall into bed and go to sleep, waking up the next morning to completely the process all over again.

It didn't take an expert to know there was something wrong with Kurt. That he wasn't the go-lucky boy he'd been before his sophomore year. Once school was over, Kurt nearly cried with relief. On the last day, he came home and once again excused himself from dinner, telling his father that he was exhausted from their glee club party and needed sleep to start the summer on a good note. It wasn't a complete lie - it just wasn't the full truth.

* * *

Burt was concerned, to say the least. Kurt hadn't been acting like his normal self. He saw the boy go from the Kurt that spent the weekends singing along happily in his room to his favorite musicals to the Kurt that spent most of his time sleeping and trying to find excuses to stay locked up in his room. He knew that school for Kurt probably wasn't the easiest, but his son made it absolutely impossible to find out anything. He never mentioned anything other than homework and glee club, and there was no details. It was either "I have too much homework and need to make sure to get it done" or "I'm working on a new glee song and have to perfect it."

While Burt had been a teenager once, he and Kurt differed in many ways, and it wasn't just their sexuality. Burt had many more friends and enjoyed sports, while Kurt liked singing and music. Burt was very accepting of his son, but he was concerned that everything going on at school that Kurt refused to talk about was effecting him in a bad way, and he had no idea what to do about it.

He kept the thoughts of Kurt's symptoms in his mind, loading up the internet one night and typing Kurt's symptoms into the search box.

**Loss of appetite.** Kurt hadn't been cooking nearly as much, and even his favorite dishes were pushed around the plate, only a few bites being taken. Burt knew Kurt thought he didn't notice, or he at least hid it well. The boy couldn't have been more wrong.

**Tiredness or Fatigue.** Kurt was always sleeping or resting or locked up in his room, and Burt never heard the sounds of his favorite songs drifting through the house.

**Anger or Irritability.** Burt had noticed this more often through the second semester of Kurt's sophomore year. He'd come home and be angry sometimes. He would either blow it off, or he'd get caught to nearly raising his voice, slamming doors, or just sulking off to his room.

He took a deep breath, running a hand over his head and hitting enter on the computer, squinting as he scrolled through the results.

And there it was. Written in black, bold letters. **Depression**.

Burt tilted his head slightly to the side, thinking for a few moments. He thought back to how hopeless Kurt looked sometimes. He could see the gears turning in his mind. He found his son trying to hold back tears sometimes. He knew Kurt tried to hide it, but the truth was he couldn't.

* * *

The first day of summer, Kurt woke up to the bright sunlight shining through his curtains. He rolled out of bed, rubbing his hands over his face and quickly making his way into the bathroom. He stares into the mirror at his pale skin and the bags under his eyes that stood out even more than normal. He glances over at his moisturizer, reaching to grab it but quickly stopping his hand. He just didn't feel like it today.

He exits the bathroom, throwing on a pair of jeans that had been hanging in his closet, pulling a t-shirt on and sitting on the edge of his bed with a soft sigh, running his fingers through his hair. He really just wanted to stay in bed and sleep all day. The only real close friend he had was Mercedes, and her family had left that morning on vacation. Kurt had absolutely nothing to look forward to this summer. He trudged up the stairs, peeking into the kitchen where his dad was dressed in his work clothes, nursing a mug of coffee, the big red letters of "World's Greatest Dad" staring back at him. He doesn't even smile, instead making his way over to the cabinet to grab one of his favorite granola bars, chewing slowly. It tasted like cardboard.

He looked up, startled as he found Burt staring at him.

"..Dad-?" He starts, automatically cut off by Burt's voice cutting through the air.

"Any plans, kiddo? I have to work until three today. It would have been two, but someone called in needing a part, so I'll have to spend a little time working on that today."

Kurt shakes his head. "No. Mercedes and her family left for a trip this morning. I'll probably just put on a movie or something." He shrugs, taking another bite of the granola bar. He could barely get it down, but did for his father's sake.

"Why don't you call someone else from glee? Like.. that Tina girl? I thought you two were friends."

"Asian camp with Mike Chang." Kurt quickly cuts off, sighing. "Really, dad. I'll be fine. I'll watch a movie. Mercedes gets back in two weeks, and then maybe I could plan a big celebratory upcoming junior year mall trip with her. I have been eying a new Alexander McQueen jacket that would go perfect with a shirt hanging in my closet."

Kurt could see his father start to open his mouth but stopping himself and nodding. "Sure, son. Just don't get too bored stuck in the house, okay?"

Kurt looked just as surprised that Burt had stopped himself but nodded, giving his dad a weak smile. "Yeah, sure. Thanks, Dad."

"No problem, kiddo. I'll see you at three." He feels his dad ruffle his hair before dumping out the remaining coffee, leaving the dirty cup in the sink and grabbing his keys, walking out the door. Kurt sighs, making his way slowly to the trash can and throwing away the other half of the granola bar he hadn't been able to get down. He trudged back up to his room, laying down and staring at the ceiling, closing his eyes and allowing himself to drift to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hello everyone! Finding Light is back with Chapter 2. It's a bit shorter than Chapter 1, but it's mainly focusing on Burt and getting help for Kurt, although Kurt is involved in this chapter. I woke up to several follows and favorites on this story, and I really do appreciate everyone who's viewed, favorited, or followed it so far.

If you guys have any questions, again, feel free to review, PM me, or ask me a question over on my Tumblr(which is linked on my profile).

I really hope you all enjoy this chapter. Any reviews you have are greatly appreciated.

* * *

Burt sighed softly, looking up at the large sign. The building stood tall and he bit his lip, smoothing a hand over his ball-cap before walking in. He looked around the waiting room. It was quiet, to say the least. There was a woman, probably in her mid-thirties and beside her sat a younger boy, probably a teenager around Kurt's age.

He'd lied to Kurt. He didn't have work that day. After the previous internet search he'd made, he couldn't get the sight of the supposed diagnosis from his mind. Depression. Was it even possible? Looking at Kurt from the outside, at least before his sophomore year, you would see a happy, go-lucky kid who loved life and while he did have person battles, he also spent his time emerging himself in what made him happy, and Burt was extremely proud of his son. His sophomore year was a different story. Kurt was more withdrawn, shy, and spent most of the time in his room. While his grades were still okay, they'd dropped, and Burt didn't want something that he could prevent or at least help to rule Kurt's life in the worst way possible.

"Sir?"

He glanced up to the woman at the front desk, realizing he'd been lost in his own thoughts. "Oh, sorry. Um.." He didn't know how to approach it. "I.. I guess I came because I'm worried about my son." He didn't want to give too much information away, but he needed to know what was going on.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry sir. What's wrong?"

He takes a deep breath. "I think he's depressed. He's just not himself anymore and I looked it up and all his symptoms or whatever pointed to depression. And I know he's not exactly running to ask him for any help, so.. I just wanted to set up an appointment." He looks up, seeing a sympathetic look run across her face before she nods, settling back into professional mode and typing a few things in on the computer in front of her.

"Of course. I understand your concern-"

"Burt. Burt Hummel."

"Well, Mr. Hummel, I do understand your concern. We have an appointment with our therapist open for next week. Wednesday afternoon, if that's okay?"

Burt nods. He'll take any appointment he can get at this point. He'll get one of the assistants to run the shop for the day without hesitation, if that's what it'll take to help his son.

"Yeah, yeah. That's fine. What time?"

"Three O'Clock. We have a early morning appointment as well, but.. I think you'd rather have the afternoon appointment?" She poses it as more of a question, glancing up at Burt.

"Oh, yeah. That's fine. Thanks." He watches as she nods, taking the small card in his hand, glancing down where the appointment place, date, and time were printed across the card in glaring print.

"No problem, Mr. Hummel. Have a nice day."

He nods, turning and making his way out of the building, climbing into his trunk, placing the small card in his pocket, looking out the window. He absolutely hated going behind Kurt's back, but there was nothing else to do. Kurt definitely wasn't going to tell him, and he wanted his son to be healthy and happy. And if that took visit a therapist for an evaluation, then that's what he would do.

He started the car, intent on heading back home immediately. He buckled up, driving home. He'd had a good mechanic of his run the shop for the day. With the knowledge in his mind that this might just be real, he was determined to go home and see how Kurt was doing.

He arrived home just twenty minutes later, making his way into the house. He looked around, confused. The television hadn't been touched and neither had anything in the kitchen. He made his way downstairs quietly, peeking into the room and automatically knowing why. Kurt was in bed, sound asleep. He watched as Kurt shifted in his sleep and Burt made his way over next to the bed, draping one of the thinner blankets over his son. He looked back once more as he left the room, walking quietly up the stairs.

They had leftovers in the fridge and other things for dinner, and Burt knew Kurt probably wouldn't be too happy if he woke up to the house burning down. He kicked off his boots, settling down into the chair in front of the television, flipping it on to the sports channel, watching intently as the highlights of some game was on. He couldn't help that his mind was racing. Any parent in their right mind would be worried if their child suddenly developed the attitude Kurt had. He felt like he couldn't talk to his son without being worried about Kurt snapping or becoming upset and locking himself in his room for any extended period of time. Whatever was going on, he just wanted to help his son become the happy boy he used to be.

* * *

Kurt opened his eyes and blinked slowly. He rolled over, suddenly noticing the thin blanket that hadn't been there when he went to sleep. His dad was home, he concluded, as soon as he heard the sports highlights on the television upstairs. Which means his dad knew that he'd done nothing but sleep that day. He sat up, grabbing his phone off the nightstand beside his bed, checking the time. It was only one in the afternoon, and he was suddenly confused as to why his dad was home two hours before he said he would be. He stood up, running his fingers through his hair and walked upstairs, slowly, peeking around to the living room before sitting down gently, crossing his legs and wringing his fingers together.

"You're home early." Kurt observes.

Burt looked over, nodding. "I am. I.. I guess the guy didn't need help after all. He said his car was up and running fine. I think it might have just been a gas issue, or something was clogged. Had another guy look at it and they cleared everything up."

He watches as Kurt looks suspicious for a few seconds before nodding, his eyes clouding over. His expression was practically nothing but sadness.

"I.. I was going to turn on my movie but I was really tired. Ended up falling back asleep." He shrugs.

Burt frowned, but nods. "I figured that's what happened. We have plenty in the kitchen for lunch."

"I'm not hungry." Kurt said immediately. "I ate that granola bar. I'll eat something in a little while. I'll probably just have an early dinner or something."

Loss of appetite, Burt notes. "Yeah, sure. That's fine. I figured."

Kurt nods, biting his lip as he notices the sports highlights still playing on the television. "Well, I'm just going to go back to my room. Maybe lay around for a little while. I'll put my headphones on and play some music or something."

"Oh, I'm not really watching TV. You can put your musical on if you want to. I don't mind."

"No, dad, really. It's fine. I skipped my moisturizing routine last night because I was just exhausted. I should probably catch up on that." Burt nods, watching as Kurt leaves the room, taking notice of his slumped shoulders. He sat back on the couch as he heard Kurt's door close, running a hand over his face. This wasn't going to be easy, but he wanted Kurt to be happy, and would do anything for his son to be just that.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hello, hello! Here is the third chapter of Finding Light. I wanted to give a special thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, and followed this story so far. I really appreciate it.

This is the longest chapter to date, so I really hope you guys enjoy this. Reviews are greatly appreciated.

* * *

It was too early in the morning, Kurt had already decided this. He slid on a pair of jeans, making his hair into its signature coif, what he hadn't done since the school year had ended a week before. He threw on a t-shirt suitable for him along with a scarf hung in his closet. While he didn't exactly feel like dressing up, his father had told him to make sure he looked nice, that they were going out to lunch. He wasn't jumping for joy, but he knew his father was suspicious of him already with all the sleeping he'd been doing and his decreased appetite and excuses, so he decided one day couldn't hurt, right?

He finished getting ready, walking slowly up the stairs and into the kitchen, giving his dad a small smile. Try his best to be himself today, and his father wouldn't be suspicious. That was the plan.

Burt looked him over, giving him a smile back and Kurt sighed in relief. "So, where are we going to eat?" Kurt asks, taking a seat at the kitchen table as Burt finishes his mug of coffee.

"I forgot the name. It's some really good diner right outside of Lima. It's only about twenty minutes away or so. One of the guys at the shop recommended it, and I thought it might be good for you to get out a little bit." Kurt accepts the answer, nodding slowly.

"Well, what are we waiting for, huh? Let's go." He stands up as Burt finishes his coffee, placing the dirty mug in the sink. Kurt followed him out to the old truck, climbing in and buckling his seatbelt. Kurt nearly dozes off as Burt begins to drive, staring at the window. His mind was racing. He hadn't been feeling like himself lately. He felt like it was hopeless. He felt like sometimes getting up in the morning was just too much to handle. Laying in the bed was his favorite activity, and he didn't even feel the motivation to sing anymore. He shrugged it off, though, not finding in him the ability to care.

"...Son?"

He was pulled out of his thoughts, blinking slowly and looking over at his dad.

"Are you okay?"

Kurt nods, taking a deep breath. "Oh, yeah. Of course. I'm really good, Dad." He tries to play it off, resting his face against the cool glass of the truck's window.

"Are you sure? You don't look okay."

"Well, some people don't look okay sometimes. That doesn't make them any less okay." Kurt snaps before he can help it, glancing sheepishly over at Burt. "I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean that. I just.. I didn't sleep well at all last night." That wasn't a lie. When Burt told him they were going out for lunch the night before, all he could think about was Burt wanting to talk to him. He'd managed to avoid most of their conversations by escaping to his room day after day after school, but he knew that would only be a possibility for so long. Burt was his father, after all. He couldn't avoid it forever.

"It's fine. I understand. Just one of those nights, huh?" Kurt doesn't notice Burt's nervous expression or when he bites his lip, instead choosing to stare out the window at the passing trees and other cars.

"Yeah, Dad."

Kurt continues staring out the window, frowning as Burt pulls into a parking lot of a large building he hasn't seen before. "..Dad..what are we doing here?" He asks nervously, noticing the big clinic sign on the front of the building. "Really. I'm not sick or anything." He looks over to his Dad, noticing the guilty look on his face. "Dad.." He trails off, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, son. I had to do this. You haven't been yourself lately, and.. I thought talking to someone might help. So I got you an appointment. It'll probably just be a few questions, and it won't take that long. We can still go to lunch after."

Kurt stares at Burt in shock, unable to formulate words for how he's feeling. Not only did his dad lie straight to his face about where they were going and what they were doing, but he lied by not telling Kurt the truth about what he felt. "No. I'm not going in there. I'm not crazy." Kurt exclaims, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

"And this is exactly why I didn't tell you, Kurt. I-"

"And you didn't think I would figure it out when we pulled up." He motions to the building with a hand, crossing his arms back to where they were.

"-I want you to be happy and healthy, Kurt. And you aren't. You aren't happy. You've stopped singing and listening to those musicals you like so much. And.. you're wearing a t-shirt. Kiddo, I hate to break it to you, but you're the guy who's constantly lecturing me on fashion and the next big trend and you're wearing a t-shirt. Kurt.. something's up. You barely come out of your room anymore, you sleep all the time, you're irritable, and I can tell when you're lying."

"Dad, I'm fine. I'm not going in there. You can go in and cancel my appointment or whatever you want, but I'm not moving. You lied to my face about everything, and I don't even know what to tell you anymore. I can't. I can't trust you." Kurt stared out the window, doing his best to hold his tears back. He didn't want anyone telling him that he was crazy, or there was something wrong with him. That's the last thing he wanted. He already had enough on his plate with everyone at school talking about his sexuality - the last thing he needed was to add any type of therapy or diagnosis of his mental health onto that.

"Kiddo.. this one thing. Do this one thing for me. Just try it, okay? That's all I'm asking you. Then we can go to lunch and forget all this happened. But.. just try it. Can you at least do that for me?"

Kurt shook his head. "Fine. Fine. But I'm not talking. I'll sit there, but I won't say a word."

"Fine. I guess that's the least you can do."

Kurt got out of the car, shuffling his feet towards the entrance. He walked in, noticing only a few people in the waiting room, sinking down into one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs they placed in waiting rooms. It felt like he was awaiting execution at this point. How could his dad go behind his back and betray him like this? He didn't understand.

He didn't say a word as he felt his dad sink into the chair beside him. Kurt stared at the floor, hearing someone walk by every now and then, but refusing to look up. Finally, he heard a voice.

"Hummel?"

Great. They couldn't even call him by his actual first name.

He stood up slowly, following the lady in front of him. He couldn't even focus on how awful her matching skills were, instead entering a room. It was a good-sized room with dark wooden furniture and two seats in front of a large desk. He barely made eye contact with the man sitting at the desk before sinking into a chair, crossing his legs and studying every detail he could humanly see in the carpet.

He heard the door close, and great. He was trapped.

"So, Mr. Hummel, I see you've brought your son in today with a few concerns."

Really. He was right there.

"Yes, Sir. I'm Burt. Burt Hummel. Kurt's just not himself anymore."

Seriously? He could only hope this would be over soon enough and he could go home and sleep some. He was exhausted.

"He doesn't eat as much as he should, or barely at all. He spends all his time in his room, and I'm sure most of it is sleeping. He barely talks, only when he has too, and I'd just really like to get to the bottom of this. Because he won't talk to me."

"Kurt, do you have anything to say?" Kurt glanced up at the man quickly, sharing eye contact before looking back down, crossing his arms, slumping impossibly further down in the chair.

He hears the man clear his throat, nodding and jotting down a few notes.

"Well, I've written down the symptoms you've spoken about."

He wasn't crazy or sick. He didn't have symptoms.

"Kurt.. I think it'd really help it you would speak up. Just to let us know what you think. That is important, after all."

"Is it really? Because I was brought here thinking Dad and I were going out to lunch, and apparently I'm going through some type of evaluation about my mental healthy that I don't need. I don't feel like doing anything anymore, because this is how it all turns out. Why should I?" Kurt exclaims, feeling his dad's eyes on him. He bites his lip, looking back down.

"You don't feel like doing anything anymore. Could you please explain that a little more, Kurt? We're just here to help you. That's all we're doing."

"Well maybe I don't want to be helped." Kurt huffs. "Look.. just.. I'm not in the mood, okay? I'm not in the mood to talk." He snaps his mouth shut, refusing to make eye contact, moving his eyes to stare at the front of the desk, instead of the ground.

"You're never in the mood, Kurt." He hears his dad mumble from beside him. He rolls his eyes.

"Kurt.. like I said, we're both here to help you. People need help sometimes. That's not a bad thing."

"I don't need any help. Especially not from you. I'm perfectly fine." Kurt mumbles.

He said he wouldn't talk and here he was, blabbing to everyone who could here him.

"You're not fine, Kurt. That's why I brought you here today."

"I'm fine, dad." He raises his voice. "I don't need help. I'm perfectly fine, okay? I don't want to do anything anymore. All I want to do is lay in my room completely undisturbed."

He notices the therapist raise his eyebrow at this, writing a few notes down before looking back up at him.

"Kurt.. you've heard of depression, correct?"

Kurt stops and stares at the floor again. He wasn't depressed. He was just tired.

"I'm not depressed."

"I'm not saying it's for certain, but I think with all your symptoms, it fits. You're tired, not eating and loosing weight, sleeping a lot more than normal-"

"I said I'm not depressed!" Kurt snaps loudly.

"-and are more irritable than normal, correct?" Kurt closes his mouth at this, refusing to speak up again.

He hears the therapist hum, jotting down a few more notes before closing the file. "I think the best thing to do is set up a few sessions with a therapist, and see where it goes from there."

"I don't want to meet here every how often with you that you want. That's not fair."

"Oh, no, it's not with me. It's with another therapist. I'm just doing your evaluation."

"Same difference." Kurt murmurs, shaking his head.

"Regardless, I think it's the best option. There's no requirement for medication yet, but with a few sessions with the therapist here, we can get you on the right track to feeling better. And if medication is the way we need to go, then that's what we'll do. In addition to that, I'd like you to begin attending a summer support group. It's for teens in the same position as you. Many of them that attend struggle with depression, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and so on. And honestly? I've had several people overcome things in a very good position and become extremely happy. That's all we want for you, Kurt."

Kurt refuses to speak, crossing his arms and slumping back into his chair. He hears the therapist speak softly to Burt about setting up an appointment at the main desk and he feels the man stand up, his father doing the same as they both shake hands. Kurt stands, walking straight past the therapist and out the door. He walks right out the door, climbing back into his fathers truck, allowing a few tears to fall, quickly wiping them before his dad can see. He feels Burt climb into the truck a few seconds later, pocketing a small card. He hears his father speak beside him. "We set up your next appointment. It's in a week."

Kurt doesn't respond, instead choosing the stare at his lip. "Let's just go home. Please." And they do.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: Hello everyone! I apologize for not being able to update these past few days. Things got really and I haven't really had much of a chance to log on and post. Here's the fourth chapter of Finding Light! It's a bit shorter than chapter three, but I still hope you all enjoy it. This really focuses on Kurt with the addition of Blaine into the story! I sincerely appreciate everyone who's taken the time to review, favorite, and follow this story. Thank you all so much.

Again, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and if you have any questions, comments, ideas, etc, please comment and let me know!

* * *

The first day of Kurt's summer support group arrived way too quickly for his liking. He fixed his hair, putting on nicer clothes than he'd worn all summer so far. He made his way upstairs, grabbing a signature granola bar and eating it quickly. The sooner he arrived at the support group, the sooner he could leave and go back home and try to forget it. He had a meeting once a week for the entire month of June, and he was not excited in the very least.

"Dad.." He begins in a quiet voice, glancing up at Burt. "Do I really have to go?" He murmurs, slumping down into a chair at the kitchen table.

"Kiddo, we already went over this. It'll be good for you. Maybe you can even make a few new friends."

Kurt highly doubted it. There was no way that anyone would want to be friends with him. The most that would happen is probably a word about his voice thrown around every now and then.

"Fine." He resolves not to argue with his father any further, knowing it'd only dig a deeper hole.

"Kurt.. don't shut me out. At least try." Kurt could hear the utter desperation in his dad's voice and finally shrugs.

"Sure, yeah. I'll try." Kurt's voice wasn't extremely convincing but Burt didn't push any further, instead speaking up a mere five minutes later when it was time for them to leave.

Kurt nods, making his way out to the car and staring out the window as Burt drove. This ought to be fun.

* * *

They finally pull up to the small building where the support group is being held and Kurt sighs as he feels the car stop, looking up and over at his father when he begins speaking. "It's only an hour, Kurt. One hour. Just.. listen and talk and try. For me?"

Kurt resolves to nod and get out of the car, walking up to the building and entering, glancing around. It was a smaller room, a hallway leading down to the right. A blaring black and white sign pointed the way, reading "summer support here" with a small arrow. He walks through the room, head down as he stares at the floor. He suddenly hits something, biting his lip and glancing up as he realizes that something is a person. "Oh my gosh, I'm so-"

He stops speaking automatically. There was a pair of bright, hazel eyes staring over at him in the form of a boy. He looked to be around Kurt's age, wearing a nice polo and bowtie along with a pair of black pants and shoes. "No biggie." The boy shrugs. "I'm Blaine."

Kurt snaps out of his dream. The boy was practically right out of a magazine for modeling. His skin was a perfect toned shade of olive with just the right amount of tan.

"-Hello?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Kurt feels a pink blush creeping onto his cheeks, biting his lip. "I'm Kurt. Kurt Hummel." He reaches forward, shaking the hand the other boy had extended moments before.

"I'm Blaine. So.. you're here for the summer support group, right?"

When Kurt doesn't speak, Blaine blushes in return and immediately begins to apologize.

"I'm sorry. I.. I shouldn't have assumed.."

"Blaine, no, it's fine. Calm down. I am. Not very willingly, but yes, I am."

He sees the boy's head tilt slightly to the side, a bit confused. Could he get any cuter?

Kurt shakes his head. "My dad made me come. Recently got diagnosed with depression." That's all he wanted to say, and it was all he needed to say. He saw the boy immediately nod and take his hand. He blushed, glancing around and looking back to the boy. He was slightly shorter than Kurt, but he didn't find himself caring too much.

"This is my third session. I've been going for a few weeks. You can sit by me. I promise it's not too bad. C'mon, though. It's about to start." Kurt allows himself to be pulled gently into the room. There was a circle of chairs in the center and he followed Blaine to one, sitting down gingerly and automatically crossing his legs. He looked over, noticing Blaine did the same.

He was about to speak up once again when he heard a voice speaking, sitting down in a chair directly across from him in the center.

"Welcome everyone, to our summer support group. I see a few new faces today, which is great. Why doesn't everyone go around and introduce themselves, just to start us off right."

Kurt halfway listens to a few introductions before he hears Blaine speaking up.

"Well, I'm Blaine. I've been coming here for about three weeks. I was diagnosed with PTSD and depression. Anyways, I'm here. It's not too bad, though, for anyone new."

Kurt automatically feels Blaine's eyes drawn to him and he blushes, realizing that everyone in the circle is staring directly at him.

"Uh, I'm Kurt. New here. Diagnosed with depression." He shrugs, staring down at the floor, biting his lip.

"Well, Kurt. Welcome. Is there anything you like to do? Hobbies, interests?"

"Music." Kurt gives another short answer. He was only going to these meetings to please his dad, he reminded himself.

He looks back up, watching as the man nods before moving on to the next introduction, looking back over to Blaine and letting out a soft sigh of relief as the boy gives him an encouraging smile.

The meeting moves rather quickly which pleases Kurt. He stands up from his chair, stretching his legs and beginning to walk out before Blaine catches his wrist. He turns around, glancing over at the boy who begins to walk out. "C'mon. I'll walk you out." Kurt reciprocates a smile back at Blaine before nodding, walking out to the parking lot where he found Burt waiting in the truck.

"So..why don't we hang out sometime? I mean.. you just seem like a nice guy and I don't have too many friends and I have no idea why I'm telling you this. Regardless, you seem nice and if you'd be so kind to let me, I'd enjoy getting together sometime. Maybe a movie, or lunch?"

Kurt finds himself nodding. "I.. sure. Yeah. I'd really like that." He raises an eyebrow as Blaine hands him his phone.

"Can I get your number? If you don't mind. So I could text you."

Kurt nods, entering his number into Blaine's phone. "As much as I'd like to talk, my dad's waiting." He motions towards the general area of Burt's truck.

"Oh, of course. Sorry. So.. I'll text you?" Blaine poses it more as a question and Kurt smiles, nodding.

"That sounds nice." He says nothing else, instead choosing to walk away, climbing into Burt's truck, trying to hold back a smile as Burt stares at him, biting his lip.

"That a friend?"

"Oh, no. He's just.. a guy I talked to. Today. His name is Blaine."

"He play for your team?"

"Dad! You can't just.." Kurt becomes flustered, sighing and shaking his head. "I'm not sure. But.. he's nice." Kurt shrugs. "He was nice to talk to. That's all."

Burt's obviously content with the answer as he chooses not to say anything else, instead starting the car and driving them home.

"I'm glad, Kurt. You deserve someone like that."

This time it's Kurt who chooses not to talk, instead nodding and allowing himself to show his dad a small smile for the first time in a while.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Chapter 5 of Finding Light has officially arrived. I want to thank everyone so far for the reviews, favorites, follows, and everyone who's read it. I really hope you guys are enjoying the story. Seeing the read count go up, along with the follows and favorites makes me very, very happy and so excited! Reviews, favorites, and follows are greatly appreciated, as much as just a reader. I really hope you all like this chapter of Finding Light and if you have any questions, comments, etc, please let me know!

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Two weeks into summer vacation, only a week after his first support group meeting, he received a text.

Kurt groaned, rolling over in the bed and rubbing his eyes. The beeping sound alerting him of a new text message had woken him up. He picked up his phone, blinking slowly to wake himself up and looking at the time. It was eight in the morning. Who in their right mind would be texting him at nine in the morning?

He clicked the lock button on his phone, automatically regretting it as soon as the bright line shone into his eyes. He locked it back, sighing and clicking the button again, raising an eyebrow slowly when he noticed the text was from Blaine. He opened it, biting his lip as he read through the message.

**Blaine: Good morning. I know it's early, don't kill me. Anyways, I wanted to know if you wanted to grab a coffee or something. We don't have support group until the end of this week, and I kinda miss having someone to talk to. Say, Lima Bean at noon? If you're up for it, of course. If not, just totally disregard this message and again, please don't kill me for waking you up so early. Unless you were already up and now I'm rambling over text message so I'm going to stop now.**

Kurt chuckled softly, shaking his head and typing out a quick reply before letting his phone fall beside him onto the blankets.

**Kurt: Number one, you did wake me up. But no, I won't kill you. That's not really my first thought. Second, I think Lima Bean sounds really good. I might have a slight obsession with coffee, but it's delicious. Anyone who doesn't like it should probably be checked over by some type of doctor. Or therapist. Am I to the point where I can joke about that? Probably not. Anyways, yeah. Lima Bean at noon.**

He blushed softly once he sent the text and read back over it. It probably wasn't the best response of all time, but it would do. He allowed himself to fully sit up against his pillows before turning to the side and dangling his legs over the edge of his bed. He could put on some nicer clothes and fix his hair up a little bit. Nothing too complicated that required too much energy. Besides, he hadn't been to Lima Bean since school ended, and he needed a caffeine boost, as much as he hated to admit that he should go out. Regardless, it helped his dad and got him off his back, so it was something to add to the pros of the situation.

**Blaine: Great, great. I'll see you at noon, then.**

Kurt rolled his eyes playfully at Blaine's need to reply last before standing up from the bed, walking into his bathroom. He picked up the bottle of moisturizer sitting on the sink hesitantly, eying it before squirting a bit into his hand, rubbing it across his face. He pulled out his hairspray, combing his hair into the perfect coif before spraying over it with his favorite hairspray to help it stay in place.

He glanced back down at his phone. Ten O'Clock. Maybe getting a little breakfast would help to pass the time. He walked upstairs, grabbing his usual - a small packaged granola bar from the cabinet, sitting down to eat. Realizing his father was in the seat next to him, he startled slightly. "Oh, hey dad. Didn't know you were awake yet."

Burt nodded, closing the paper and taking a sip of the steaming coffee. "Woke up a little early today. I got a call about a few parts coming in, so I'm going to head down the garage and sort those. What are you doing up so early?"

Kurt knew his dad was probably surprised. He hadn't been getting up this early since school, and that was only because he had to.

"Oh.. I'm going to get coffee. With Blaine."

Burt eyed him for a few moments. "Oh.. where?"

Kurt bit his lip before speaking. "Just to the Lima Bean. We're going at noon. He kinda woke me up with a text."

"You know, it's good to see you out of the bed."

Kurt knew that was exactly what his dad had been thinking since the minute he got up. He sighed. "Yeah, thanks, Dad. Look, Blaine's nice to talk to. That's what we're doing. That's all we're doing."

"Sure, sure. I'm just glad you made a friend. See? That support group isn't all that bad."

"It's terrible, Dad. But Blaine is okay. I guess it's worth it." Kurt responds, taking a few bites out of his granola bar.

"Have fun, okay?"

Kurt nods. "Sure, Dad. Have fun with.. everything at the shop."

Burt chuckles, shaking his head. "I'll try. Love you, son."

Kurt takes another bite, chewing slowly. "Love you too, Dad."

With that, Burt left, holding the mug of coffee tightly in his hand.

Kurt finished his granola bar, trying to pass the time. It was going to be practically torture until noon. He sat down, flipping on the television where an old re-run of Project Runway was playing. He watched for about fifteen minutes, until he was too disgusted to watch what the contestants were creating. Fashion crimes, to be exact. He dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a deep purple top, pairing one of his favorite brooches with it.

He made his way up the stairs, slumping down onto the couch as he checked his phone. Eleven. Only an hour until his meeting with Blaine. Why did he feel so nervous? It was only a coffee date. Not even a date. It was just a casual meeting of friends to get coffee. He did it with Mercedes at the beginning of the year several times, and they weren't going on a date. Everything was okay.

As soon as his phone read eleven-thirty, he decided to head over to the coffee shop. Better to be there a little earlier than late, right?

Upon arriving he walked inside, looking around and noticing Blaine wasn't there yet. It was only eleven-forty, after all. He ordered a coffee, paying quickly and making a comment towards the cashier to "keep the change" as he took the hot drink, sitting down gingerly at one of the tables in the corner. He took a small sip, sighing at the taste before setting his cup down. He twitched slightly upon hearing a noise in front of him, looking up and noticing Blaine. He bit his lip, gesturing to the table.

"I hope this was okay. I got here a little early. Dad left to go to work and I didn't really have much to do."

Blaine shrugs, sitting and taking a sip of his own drink. "Oh, no problem. I just hope you weren't waiting too long. In that case, I'd have to apologize."

Kurt chuckled, shaking his head. Since when did he laugh. "No apologies needed. I've only been here for a few minutes."

"Great. So, how have you been?"

Kurt tilted his head slightly, brows furrowing. The only person who ever took the time to ask that was his father, and he supposed it was mostly out of concern. "I've been okay. I haven't really done much since our last meeting."

He was definitely not going to refer to it as a support group. It was just a meeting.

Blaine watched Kurt closely for a few seconds before taking another sip of his coffee, pursing his lips. "Sounds pretty boring, although I'm not one to judge. That's all I've done all summer. I bought a few new bowties the other day."

Kurt couldn't help but snort, and Blaine looked offended. "I'm sorry. Just.. you seem very much like a bowtie-wearing guy, that's all."

"And that's exactly why I wear them." Blaine looked smug, almost. He took another sip.

"I'm not judging. I have several in my closet. My favorite being an old glass one with clocks."

"You have a bowtie with a clock?" Blaine raised an eyebrow.

"Just a few images of some, yes. My bowtie doesn't actually tell time." Kurt rolls his eyes.

"Mmm." Blaine hums, acknowledging Kurt's words. "Good to know. Although, that would be pretty handy."

"I prefer something like a watch or a phone for that, but I wouldn't complain" Kurt's voice is slightly teasing, a small smile forming across his lips. "Fashion is a very diverse subject."

"Is that what you want to do? Fashion design." Blaine questions.

Kurt takes another sip, thinking. "I don't know. I love music and I've wanted to be on Broadway since I was little, but something lately makes that dream seem impossible. I love fashion as well, and I'm about ninety nine percent sure I could beat anyone on Project Runway. Some of those designs are fashion crimes. Horrible, horrible fashion crimes that shouldn't be allowed on nation television."

Blaine snorts, pressing a hand over his mouth to control his laughter before straightening up in his seat.

"What?" Kurt mumbles, shrugging and taking a sip of his coffee. "It's true."

"You're just funny. It's a good thing." He smiles. "But really. Nothing like that is really impossible if you work for it. I may have not heard you sing yet, but I know you're talented. I can just tell."

"Aren't you impressive, Mr. Anderson?" Kurt grins, finishing up his drink and setting the cup in front of him, running his fingers over the lid.

"What?" Blaine whines, his eyes bright. " I just can. Kurt, you can do whatever you want."

"That's the problem. I'm not exactly sure what I want. I love Broadway, but sometimes I think it's more of a risk. Which I know isn't always a bad thing.." Kurt trails off, taking in a breath and sighing. "But I just think fashion might be a more... practical route to take."

Blaine bites his lip. "Which I can understand. But I want to be involved with music. My dream is New York. NYU to be exact. I'd love to teach music when I'm older. I love being around kids, and something about that job is really attractive to me."

You're really attractive to me is what Kurt thinks, but doesn't vocalize.

Kurt's phone chooses that exact time to buzz and he huffs, trying to keep the annoyed look off his face as he reads over the text message that just appeared on his phone.

**Dad: Wanna go to lunch son?**

Obviously Kurt's lessons for his father on how to text had gone to completely waste. Kurt might have even been less annoyed if a phone call had graced his phone.

He looked up at Blaine with a glum expression on his face. "I'm really, really sorry. My dad wants to go to lunch. I have to go."

Blaine suddenly looks troubled but nods. "I completely understand, Kurt. But I'd love to.. maybe do the same soon? Get some lunch. Or we could have another coffee d-.. outing. Either is fine."

Was Blaine just about to say date? Kurt's eyes nearly bugged out of his head but he kept himself under control. "Sure, sure. How about you text me sometime? Or I'll text you."

Kurt took the sign of stumbling over his words that he should probably go and not make any more of a fool of himself.

Blaine nods, giving him a small smile. "I'll see you at the meeting, Kurt."

Kurt dips his head, giving Blaine a smile back before walking out the door. Why did his dad always have the worst timing?


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: Woo, hello everyone! I know it's been a little while since I've updated and I apologize, but this chapter for whatever reason was very hard to write. It took days to type everything out. It was just a case of what exactly I was going to put in this chapter, and I really didn't want to drag it out anymore, so I ended the chapter where I did.

There's also a **warning here for talk of violence in this chapter.** A little bit about Blaine's Sadie Hawkins experience is revealed. There aren't really many details, but there is talk of that.

**DISCLAIMER**: I just realized that I never put a disclaimer in any of my author's notes and I probably should have, so here it is. I do not own Glee, nor am I assosiated with Ryan Murphy, Glee, FOX, or any of the characters/people in this story. I am only the author of this fanfiction.

I really appreciate everyone's comments, favorites, and follows on this story, and I really hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

* * *

Kurt sighed. His second support group meeting was today and he desperately did not want to go. He knew his dad would probably jump on him the minute he refused, but he couldn't help it. Maybe it was just one of those days, but regardless, he felt the need to argue the fact that he shouldn't go.

In all actuality, the support group wasn't that great. They sat around and just talked. Most of the people there genuinely thought it was helping. And that was great, but those people weren't Kurt. Kurt was different, and he was extremely bent on the fact that the only thing that had helped in the least was meeting Blaine. Having someone else to talk to was nice, and it was the only reason that Kurt even had a second thought in his mind about going.

He heard his dad knock and pulled the blankets up higher, resting right beneath his chin. "What?" He mumbles.

Burt walks in and Kurt glances up, biting his lip. "Your second support group is in two hours. You should probably start getting ready."

And here goes the truth. "I don't want to go."

Burt studies Kurt for a few moments. "Too bad. You need to go. It's been helping."

"No. Blaine's been helping. Not that support group that you made me go to."

"Kurt, the other day was the first time I've seen you willingly out of bed in a pair of nice clothes since summer began. This needs to stop. You need to get help."

"If you really want me to get help.." Kurt argues, "then you need to let me do it by myself. Which means not hovering over me and making me go to these meetings. I enjoy spending time with Blaine, and that's what is helping me. Not the meetings. I barely spoke last time."

"I just want you to be happy, Kurt. That's all I want. That's all I've wanted since the day you were born, and here I am trying to provide you with the help and the resources to be happy and you won't take them. You're going to the meeting. I'll give you a half hour to get ready, come upstairs, and eat. Love you."

Without another word, Burt spins on the spot, making his way up the stairs. Kurt huffs, getting out of bed and slamming the door, plopping himself back down on top of the blankets.

Kurt shifted slightly, pulling the blankets back over him, resting the top of the sheet on his waist. He rolled over, sighing and rubbing his eyes. He wasn't going to cry. He wasn't going to be upset. He wasn't.

Those thoughts didn't help too much, as not more than two minutes after his father left the room, he felt a few tears roll down his cheeks. He sniffled softly, bringing a hand towards his face to wipe them away slowly, trying to blink several more tears back that were escaping from his eyes. At that moment, the only thing he could think about was Blaine, and how much he wished the other boy could be with him.

About forty minutes later, Kurt was thoroughly surprised that Burt hadn't crashed back through the door yet. Instead, there was a soft knock.

"Dad, seriously. Don't make me go. Please." He'd ditched the denial and instead tried the begging. Not a few seconds later, a gelled down head of hair with hazel eyes stuck through the door.

"It's not your dad."

"Blaine..?" He asks softly, almost in disbelief.

"Yeah, it's me. Hi."

Kurt looks extremely confused but nodded. "I see that." He pulls himself up slowly against the pillows, motioning to the area beside him for Blaine to sit down.

Blaine makes his way over to the bed, sitting down gingerly and looking over at Kurt. "Your dad called me."

Kurt gaped at Blaine for a few seconds before biting his lip. "My dad did what?"

"Your dad called me. Said that you refused to come to group today."

Kurt nodded. "I did. Because you're the best part about that place. And he keeps going on about how I have to go, and I don't want to." Kurt mumbles.

"I know you don't want to, but I know you don't want to go to therapy either. So, Kurt, please come today. At least do it for me." Blaine suddenly pulls out his secret weapon - the all too convincing puppy dog eyes, and a small pout spreads across his lips.

"That's not fair." Kurt whines. "You know I can't resist your puppy dog eyes."

Blaine chuckles, rubbing a hand gently over Kurt's arm. "C'mon. Get up and get dressed. I'll even treat you to a coffee afterwards, if you'd like?"

Kurt sighs. "Fine, fine. But only for you. Only for you."

Blaine smiles widely, nodding and standing up, offering a hand to Kurt.

Kurt eyed it warily for a moment before taking it and standing up.

"I'll just, uh, wait upstairs." Blaine stumbles over his words, blushing lightly and motioning towards the stairs.

Kurt watches in amusement as Blaine makes his way back up the stairs. He shakes his head, grabbing a pair of his jeans and a nice t-shirt. Nothing too fancy, but enough to pull off a good act in front of Blaine and his dad.

He walks back up the stairs, looking around when he enters the kitchen, noticing Blaine but no sign of his dad.

Blaine, sensing his confusion, automatically spoke up. "Oh, he just left for work. Something about a package of parts arriving and a car needing to be fixed." Blaine chuckled lightly, shrugging. "I'm not really much of a mechanic."

"Oh, I can tell." Kurt teases, glancing back over at Blaine as the other boy blushes furiously. "But it's okay. I'm just teasing, Blaine."

Blaine nods. "Yeah, yeah. Of course."

"Of course."

Kurt's response is short as he grabs a water bottle from the fridge, taking a sip.

"Kurt, can I ask you a serious question?"

Kurt bites his lip, nodding. This didn't sound good at all. "Yeah, of course."

"Why don't you want to go to therapy?"

Blaine's question was blunt and out into the air. Kurt could cut the tension with a knife.

"Because I don't want to. I thought that response would be enough to not warrant any more questions."

Kurt's answer was probably a bit more rude than it should have been, but he couldn't help it. He was a defensive person.

"Well, there has to be some reason. Not just that you don't want to." Blaine's voice was gentle and Kurt sighed, running his fingers through his hair. That was the main sign that he was stressed.

"I just don't want to. Going to the support group with you makes me feel still somewhat normal. If I went to therapy, they'd probably shove a bottle of anti-depressants in my face and there goes my normal feeling. I want to feel like a person, not a patient."

Blaine thinks for a few moments before nodding. "And that's something I completely understand. I've been to therapy before. I actually had a weekly appointment two years ago."

Kurt bites his lip. "For what?"

"I was attacked. At a Sadie Hawkins dance. I went with another guy and I had just come out and.. they just attacked us. He moved and I never spoke to him again. I had a broken arm and a lot of therapy. They put me on anti-depressants. I completely understand why, but they really do help. I promise you they do. I'm not telling you to go to therapy, but I'm telling you to think about it if things get worse. We might have just met a few weeks ago, but I just want the best for you, Kurt."

Kurt chuckles softly. "You sound like my dad, but that's not a bad thing. I promise. If things get worse, I'll think about it. That's all I can promise, though."

"And that's all I'm asking for."

Blaine's response made a smile form on Kurt's face. He pulled the other boy into a hug, closing his eyes and sighing. "Thank you."

Blaine didn't respond, instead rubbing a hand over Kurt's back.

Kurt thought that maybe, just maybe, Blaine would be the one thing that could truly make him happy.


End file.
